OBJECTIVES:

Television-based smoking cessation mass media campaigns (MMCs) aimed at preventing uptake of smoking and encourage cessation are an important mode of tobacco control. With vast coverage, they can target specific populations. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness and potential cost-effectiveness of anti-tobacco TV advertising MMCs in reducing smoking prevalence.

METHODS:

A different dataset for the Scottish population (2003-2009) was used to examine the reduction in the number of adult smokers due to MMCs. Time series regression with ARIMA error was used. The cost-effective of the MMC intervention in comparison to background quit attempts (do-nothing), was estimated by extrapolating number of quit attempts attributable to MMCs, to 4-week and 52-week sustained quits, calculating an incremental cost per 52-week sustained quitter. Markov modelling was employed for lifetime analysis, reporting the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gains.

RESULTS:

Each month, one increase in television viewer ratings (TVRs) led to 40 additional quit attempts in the Scottish population. Given an average of 243.5 TVRs per month, the MMCs led to an additional 116,885 quit attempts per annum compared to no TV. TV MMC resulted in an incremental 0.0065 quits per annum compared to no MMC, with an additional cost of £0.66 per smoker in the Scottish population. The incremental cost per 52-week quitter was £102. The lifetime model which incorporated the future cost of smoking related diseases to the NHS, resulted in a discounted cost saving of £319 per person (95% CI: -£974, -£31) and a gain of 0.016 QALYs (95% CI: 0.0017, 0.048).

CONCLUSIONS:

The 1 year outcomes show MMCs to be extremely cost-effective in comparison to a do- nothing, while the lifetime analysis determined MMC to be dominant strategy, demonstrate little uncertainty in both the cost and QALY outcomes over a wide range of cost-effectiveness thresholds.